Shooting a 3D documentary: building a mini beam splitter rig for close ups

Vision alert. So we’re thinking of designing our own mini beam splitter rig to shoot close ups for our first 3D documentary . Here’s why: as I’ve mentioned,we’re trying to sort out our B cam system using Film Factory’s 3D Indie BS Rig – this should hopefully work for the majority of our B cam shots.

But it isn’t the most portable system – something that will surely prove challenging on an industrial site, where the explosive demolition series Blowdown takes place.

For the odd close up of the crew loading explosives etc. in a condemned sports stadium in Salvador, Brazil, it’s painful to think about moving the whole rig and setting up just to get a shot or two.

And we’d like to avoid using a side-by-side rig  because it’s a mission (if not a mission impossible) to get the cameras close enough together to film these types of shots.

If there’s a way to build a mini beam splitter unit, one person could just move in and get this footage with way less trouble (ie. instead of two people to set up the full-sized rig, etc.).

As an added bonus, we could also use this system in a temporary pinch if the main B cam system happened to go down.

We bought an extra mirror anyway, in case the one that came with the Film Factory Indie rig system malfunctions mid-shoot … why not try and put it to use?

Our stereographer, Sean White, knows a machinist who may be able to help us build this mini rig we’ve envisioned.

We’d probably use Canon Vixias – smaller than the Sony EX1/EX3 combination we’re trying to make work with the Film Factory Indie rig – and rig it as an underslung system.

One camera would be positioned below (instead of above), and the spare mirror would be angled the opposite way as the one on the full-fledged beam splitter rig.

This rig would theoretically snap onto a tripod, and would achieve a small enough interaxial distance for us to get the close-ups we need without a mega hassle.

If any stereo, etc. issues arose, we’d correct them in post – theoretically a relatively small workload considering we don’t use tons of these types of shots in our shows.

At the moment, it’s just an idea – but seems fittingly par for this unchartered course.

3D beam splitter rigs for Sony EXs: filmmakers weigh in

It seems we’re not alone in the quest to find a beam splitter rig/camera system that will work as our B cam setup for shooting our first 3D documentary.

My previous blog outlining the issue has been posted on the Yahoo! Group thread P+S Technik 3D Stereo Rig + 2 Sony EX3, where there are entries from several people looking for information on how to make this – and similar systems – work for them.

Here’s our particular issue: we’ve been testing a Sony EX1 and a Sony EX3 mounted on a Film Factory 3D Indie BS Rig, but are having issues getting the cameras optimally positioned.

One alternative mentioned in the Yahoo! thread is a P+S Technik rig, but from what I gather it’s more expensive than the Film Factory Indie unit we’ve purchased.

Another up-and-coming alternative seems to be Alister Chapman’s “Hurricane” beam splitter rig, evidently designed specifically with Sony EX3s in mind.

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Editing a 3D documentary: JVC HD 3D LCD monitor review

Our HD 3D monitor has arrived!

It’s the 46-inch JVC GD-463D10, and it means our editor, Brian Mann, doesn’t have to view footage in anaglyph anymore.

Moving to polarized is a relief – no colour loss, no red and cyan ghosting … and no headaches.

Purchasing the monitor ($6,600 later) was obviously a must – you can’t produce a high quality 3D show, like the first 3D documentary we’re going to shoot, editing in anaglyph.

We managed to fit it into an edit suite and set it up. Brian, Jakub and I check out some VFX footage on our newest 3D toy:

When it comes time to cut this Blowdown, Brian will use the monitor to see what he’s editing in Final Cut Pro (which, as I’ve mentioned, can’t edit in 3D without third party program help – we’re trying Cineform Neo3D out).

This view is key – cutting 3D shots means there’s a lot more to consider – parallax, convergence, wide and close, how much positive depth/negative depth exists in each shot.

If you cut shots with huge discrepancies in depth it’s really uncomfortable to watch, so you can’t just chop shots together – even with a flashy transition.

The only rub with the monitor is that it doesn’t do dual stream, which means the footage is technically at half-resolution (ie. don’t get both eyes full res).

So even though we’re editing in dual stream (to deliver the highest quality possible), we can’t view it that way on the JVC screen.

We looked into dual stream monitors – Panasonic’s due to release a 25-inch unit in the fall – but it’s prohibitively expensive (approximately $10,000).

And, more importantly, it’s too small for us to view our footage in a size that’s representative of our final product (how many 25-inch televisions have you seen lately?) – a shortfall that could lead to convergence that isn’t optimal for our audience.

Oh, and the JVC came with two free pairs of polarized glasses.

Looks like we’ll do just fine:

Editor Brian Mann works with the JVC HD 3D LCD monitor

Shooting a 3D documentary: run and gun data management

Shooting our first 3D documentary’s not only going to change the way we capture content in the field, it’s also going to drastically change the way we store it.

Not only will this be the first show that my crew shoots tapeless, they’ll also have to contend with twice the amount of footage.

And if they lose any of it, it could be a huge disaster (think: Blowdown without the implosion. Yikes).

So we’re looking into a system that will allow us to move footage from camera/nano3D compact flash cards to a storage unit during the day, the transfer it into a mega conduit each evening.

Our data journey would start with ShotPut Pro. This copy utility application automatically copies and verifies all transfers off of flash cards. It can also copy multiple cards to multiple hard disks at the same time.

We’d use ShotPut Pro to transfer our footage to a G RAID mini. Using its RAID 1 setting, the crew would put two copies of everything onto the mini’s two SATA drives. This redundancy means that if for some reason we lose one drive, we won’t lose the farm.

Each G RAID mini stores up to 1 TB of data, so we should be able to carry our footage (up to 500 GB, copied twice) on it until the end of the day (if the crew’s shooting more than that amount, they’re shooting too much!).

Each evening, we’d then transfer the footage from the G RAID mini to a G SAFE. Each of these storage units takes up to 2 TB of data, and only stores RAID 1 (mirrored), which means two copies stored no matter what.

The data journey would end when both 7200 RPM SATA II drives are removed and shipped back to the production house separately, in case one gets lost in transit.

Approximate cost: $100 for ShotPut Pro, $300 for the G RAID mini, $700 for the G SAFE with two drives (ie. the first 2 TB of storage).

After that, we’ll be buying drives just like we bought tapes – I’m interested to see how costs compare out the other end.

And another first – to keep track of audio tracks, locations and dates (in lieu of the tape, sticker and marker technique) we’ll be using an electronic slate, courtesy of the iPad.

Shooting a 3D documentary: review – Film Factory 3D Beam Splitter Indie Rig

Our crew’s spent the last week testing the B cam system we hope to use to shoot our first 3D documentary.

Here’s what we’ve learned about the Film Factory 3D BS Indie Rig:

Pros

1) Relatively affordable: rings in at $3,895 US plus shipping and handling (we also bought an extra mirror in case the first one smashes in the field. Don’t think we’ll find a second lying around at the condemned sports stadium slated for explosive demolition in Salvador, Brazil, where we’re going to be filming, and shipping one in would surely be a nightmare).

2) Robust but adjustable: the rig’s sturdy, so I think it will stand up well in the field. But luckily the structure isn’t rigid – we’ve had some difficulty lining our Sony EX1 and EX3 up properly (see: large and cumbersome … it’s a problem), so we’ve disassembled the rig, manually repositioned parts, and tightened them to try and accommodate the cameras.

Specifically, the aluminum rails are locked in with screws that can be loosened, adjusted, and locked back in. Without this flexibility we’d have no hope of effectively adjusting the heights of the cameras relative to the base rail (which we’re still working on. Argh).

Cons

1) Manual operation: It doesn’t have all the fine, automated controls that the higher-end feature film rigs do. It lacks motorized components, so factors such as interaxial distance and convergence have to be adjusted manually. In feature film production, it’s often one person’s job just to operate the remote to make these adjustments on automated units.

2) Heavy load: This is just something the crew’s going to have to get used to – 3D shooting demands so much more gear. But it’s still a downer. Total tally: the rig, a tripod, two mid-sized cameras, the nano3D recorder, the Transvideo Cineform 3D Monitor, all the sync cables, and battery. We think it may take two extra bodies in the field just to move all of these components around.

And the cameras are a whole other story … more to come on the Sony EX1/EX3 issue.

3D documentary filmmaking: how to sync two Canon Vixias with one remote

As mentioned, I selected implosion cams for our first 3D documentary – six (three pairs) of Canon Vixia HF 10s and 12 (six pairs) of Canon Vixia HF M31s – a little while back.

Next, we needed to figure out how to turn each pair on simultaneously (the duos will be positioned to capture the implosion of a condemned sports stadium in Brazil for the explosive demolition series Blowdown).

And how to turn them on without knocking one (or both) out of alignment.

The cameras need to sit at a 74 mm interaxial distance, right next to each other, for us to capture the footage we need.

This means they’ll be positioned too close together for use to easily access the viewfinder on the right camera, where the camera controls are.

Since each camera comes with a remote, we tried to use them to adjust the settings on each one (holding two, trying to point each one at the infrared sensor on its respective camera), but it’s cumbersome and awkward.

It’s a problem: we need four elements to be in sync between before we start recording for these shots to work: the two cameras have to have the same zoom, the same white balance, the same exposure, and the same focus.

The risk of losing one or more implosion shots – our big bang footage that climaxes the show – because the crew’s running around like mad, trying to calibrate and turn these 18 cameras on properly while preserving their alignment, is a risk I’m not willing to take.

So our stereographer Sean White discovered a work-around – a home-made infrared transmission system that allows us to control both cameras at the same time.

With sourced components off the Internet, a box has been built that will receive any infrared signal and transmit it through a split cable to two infrared sensors.

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